Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte attends a press conference at the end of a Cabinet Minister meeting in Rome, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2019. Worried about big job losses, Italy's government met Wednesday with Indian steel baron Lakshmi Mittal and other company executives to try and convince ArcelorMittal, the world's largest steelmaker, not to pull out of a deal to acquire the steel plant in southern Italy. (Giuseppe Lami/ANSA Via AP)
The Associated Press
ROME (AP) - Italy has given steelmaker ArcelorMittal a few days to agree to a plan to keep operating a southern Italian plant.
The French-Italian steelmaker this week balked at continuing to operate the Taranto steel plant when the Italian government removed immunity from prosecution in case of environmental damage.
Premier Giuseppe Conte says he has rejected as "unacceptable" the steelmaker's plan to cut 5,000 jobs. Political pressure was building Thursday on the center-left government to avoid cuts.
Conte said late Wednesday, after meeting ArcelorMittal executives, that the government offered in the talks to restore the immunity. But he described the immunity shield as a "false problem," saying ArcelorMittal wants to slash jobs and cut production annually to 4 million tons, to far below previously agreed upon levels.
Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte attends a press conference at the end of a Cabinet Minister meeting in Rome, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2019. Worried about big job losses, Italy's government met Wednesday with Indian steel baron Lakshmi Mittal and other company executives to try and convince ArcelorMittal, the world's largest steelmaker, not to pull out of a deal to acquire the steel plant in southern Italy. (Giuseppe Lami/ANSA Via AP)
The Associated Press
FILE - This Aug. 17, 2012 file photo shows chimneys of a steel plant in Taranto, southern Italy. Worried about big job losses, Italy's government met Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2019, with Indian steel baron Lakshmi Mittale and other company executives to try and convince ArcelorMittal, the world's largest steelmaker, not to pull out of a deal to acquire the steel plant in southern Italy. (AP Photo/Paola Barisani, file)
The Associated Press